Neverwhere is an urban fantasy by Neil Gaiman, one of the first novels he wrote, and I swear I read it and liked it years ago. Turns out that was also a fantasy. Not the liking part — it's very good! — but I hadn't actually read it before, which I didn't realize until I began listening to this [excellent] audiobook version. And as good [excellent, really] as the audiobook is, I wish I had read the print book first. I absorb and enjoy stories better when I read them myself, and probably would've given the book 5 stars if I had read it years ago as I should have.

So this isn't a real review of the book, except I will say: It's very good. If you didn't read it years ago, when you should have, go and read it now. Familiar, modern London is sitting atop a parallel, fantastical, medievalish London Below ... and you're missing it. That's very pre-Door Richard Mayhew of you. Sure, you're safe from Croup and Vandemar, but you're missing the Marquis, the floating market, the rat-speakers, the Angel Islington, the pigeon-keeper Old Bailey, Hunter, the Night's Bridge, and more.

As for the audiobook, it's narrated by Gaiman and, as I've mentioned, it's excellent. This is Gaiman's preferred (revised) version of the story and he's a pitch-perfect narrator, giving each character a unique tone and cadence (and, often, accent). I listened in bits and pieces, during household chores and the like, but I'd love to listen again on a nice long road trip. Nothing to do but drive and get so caught up in the tale that an entire giant state has flown by and you're at your destination and a little sad to hit pause because you know another astonishing piece of this new world is going to be revealed within minutes. Perfect. Sign me up.